Never Going Back Again
by horror.story.liars
Summary: Misty Day was a pure soul trapped in hell. With the help of an old friend she makes it out only to realize that it is merely the first step in a long journey. With some help from the girls at Miss Robichaux's and some soul searching, Misty may find a bigger reason to make it back to the world of the living. (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Chapter 1: Misty

There ain't a single word I can think up to describe what hell felt like. I heard all kinds of words growin' up. Turmoil. Horror. Terror. Not a single one of 'em can even come close. Even now that I am out of it and am here in the black I smell the blood and the formaldehyde. I can hear the laughing and the awful gush of my knife pressing into that poor darlin' of a frog. I can feel the fire in that mean teacher's breath. How would I go about describing that? I bet ya Cordelia could come up with a perfect word. She sure was smart. The smartest woman I ever met.

Cordelia is the last thing that I remember about the human world. We was all in that circle and just before I laid down I took a look at her. Her face sure was pretty, and seemed to be sure that I would be right back. She smiled and even gave me a wink. You know, if I was gonna be trapped in hell, or even here in the darkness, I sure am glad that she was the last thing I saw. Even if she couldn't see me.

I guess I should tell how I got to be here in the darkness and not in hell with the frogs and the death and stuff. When the hell first started I knew it was just a place in my mind and that I had to get out. Then by the third or so time of havin' to kill that poor innocent creature I had lost everything. There wasn't no sense of time or anything really. Just fear and awful, awful death and shame. That pain was just so big that I couldn't feel nothin' else. I couldn't think about nothin' else.

Now, I have no way of knowing, but I must have been trapped there for years. They sure do know me good to have a hell that tortured me like that. I can't hardly think of nothin' worse. It wasn't too long after I had lost count of the lives I'd taken with that blade, my hand forced by that evil man, that a voice I knew real good came to me. It was just before I pressed the knife down on that frog again.

"There you are! You must truly pride yourself on making it taxing on an old witch to find you. Now Misty, put that knife down!"

"Myrtle?" I had stammered among all those terrible kids laughin' at me.

"Well it's certainly not the pope." She said in that weird voice of hers.

That was when it all came rushing back into my brain: The test, the seven wonders, the coven, Ms. Cordelia... I had been takin' a test and I must have failed it somethin' awful! When I looked around everything else had frozen but me and her.

"Myrtle how'd you get here? Is this some sort of trick and if I trust you somethin' even worse is going to happen?" I had started to cry all over again by then.

"I suffered the fate of burning at the stake for a second time, this time at the hand of your beloved Cordelia. It was what was right though. Because I had gone willingly I was spared from my own personal hell. However, my atrocities on earth could not go unpaid for. I now am responsible for finding lost souls, for righting cosmic wrongs... and you my dear are very lost and have gone very wrong."

"What's that all mean then?" I was still sick and shaking from all of the bad stuff I'd been through.

"You were born with one of the purest souls in history Misty Day. You are kind and true and only resort to anger and negativity for things that are right. For you to be locked in hell for all eternity would be one of the worst tragedies imaginable. However, it is still up to you to find your way back."

Myrtle is always talkin' in riddles and fancy words and it makes my head spin.

"But I don't know my way back! That's how I got stuck here in the first place!" I plea.

"I can't give you all the answers or take you there myself love, but I can get you started. We are going to leave here, and you will never have to come back." I can't even let her finish before I'm all blubbering and huggin' on her.

"But Misty, The place I am taking you is not easy. For some it is a form of torture in itself. You will remain there until you can figure out how to get back. All I can tell you is that your key to the real world is deep in your heart. When you find what is at the core, then you will open your eyes where you feel the most at home." She held my hands real tight so that I would know how serious she was.

"I don't have to kill nothin' at the place I'm goin' do I Ms. Myrtle?"

"No My dear, there will be nothing there for you to kill. Only, the dark."

And all of a sudden she was gone, and the awful classroom was gone, and I was in an all black room. The room seemed to go on forever and it was real dark. Everywhere I looked it was dark. Now, real world Misty probably would have got real scared and thought of the coffin and of Madison and been real panicked. But not now. After all I'd seen, this was the safest and happiest I'd felt in forever! I just had to figure out how to get to the next step.


	2. Chapter 2: Iris

My name is Iris Oxendine. At least it is now. It was my sister's name before she died. Since they already found her (what was left of her anyhow) they won't be looking for Iris Oxendine. I doubt that they're even looking for me either though. Either way they won't find me here. I never thought I would find myself here. But, this is certainly the nicest place that I have stayed in months.

Last month I was sneaking naps in a 24/7 Dunkin' Donuts and eating what they threw away. Today I am eating gourmet meals and sleeping in a cushiony twin bed with two pillows, a sheet, a blanket, and a comforter. I get to take two hot showers a day and snack as often as I please. I might actually break a hundred pounds at this rate! People are nice to me, and I to them. Last month I never would have believed you if you told me that I would be living this way now. There is only one problem.

I am in a home for witches. This wouldn't be a problem, I mean I have now problem with witches or with any sort of person really. The problem is that I am staying here because they think that I am a witch too, and I am as plain as they come. I can't read minds, I can't move stuff without touching it, and I certainly can't conjure up any spirits. I was simply wandering the streets one day when I felt an inexplicable tug deep in the pit of my stomach. Something inside of me was restless, like it was trying to tell me something. My feet were moving before I even knew where I was headed. They took me to the front steps of Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptionally Gifted Young Ladies. Before I could run the door swung open and there stood a dopey looking blonde dude staring at me.

"What's with the tux?" My mouth spoke for me before I thought better of it.

Before I knew what was happening that lady I'd seen on the tv was shaking my hand and I had cooked up a backstory so good that I almost believed it. Living on the streets for the past three years I had picked up plenty of slide of hand and general psychology tricks. Just enough to convince them that I had some real powers and to give me my own room and class schedule.

To be quite honest, being surrounded my magic is actually pretty annoying. The telekinesis kids are always throwing stuff around or floating whole tables when we're all trying to eat. And don't get me started on the clairvoyants! They always love to remind you that they can hear what is on your mind so you have to be on your toes all of the time, especially when you have a secret like mine! All in all it is a good place though and it certainly beats living on the streets. I have to wonder though, how long can I get by with this charade?


	3. Chapter 3: Misty

I'm not complainin' or anything because I know it could be worse, I of all people know that. But, time seems to last even longer here with nothing to see or look at. It's just dark. All the time. It is just me and my thoughts. I am sure tryin' to figure what Myrtle meant by the core of my heart but it's real easy to get distracted by all my thoughts. Maybe it's cause I didn't really have 'em for so long bein' distracted by all the horrible stuff goin' on. I try to think as hard as I can about all the words she said. I remember she said somethin' about wakin' up where I felt most at home.

Boy, I sure do miss my swamp. That was my home much more than the house I had with my parents before they burned me. I wish I was out there waterin' my flowers right now. I can almost smell the algae and fresh air right now. I think as hard as I can on that, tryin' to will somethin' to happen. Everytime I open my eyes though, it's nothin'. Still just the darkness. Sometimes I walk around for a while, thinkin' maybe it's a trick and that there is just a door somewhere or 'nother. I still haven't found no end to the dark.

I lie down and think on music for a little while. Stevie always got me into thinkin' and creatin' more than anything. I play out her song "Rhiannon" and "Don't Want to Know" in my head. I think about the words in "Gypsy" and "Landslide". I think about her solo stuff and how it makes me feel compared to her stuff with Fleetwood Mac. I think about the moment that I saw her, my Stevie, in the flesh. That Fiona may have been a no good supreme but I sure was grateful to her for whatever she did to make that happen for me. I'd sure never forget it. I've loved Stevie Nicks as long as I can remember maybe she has the key to my freedom.

I think about all of the things I've loved. I loved all the animals on my family's farm. I loved my granny before she passed away. Boy I wish I'd known how to bring things back then! I loved my crocodile friends out at the swamp. I loved my plants. And you know, I think I loved Miss Cordelia too.

What would Cordelia do? She prolly woulda had this problem figured out in no time flat. She just woulda closed her eyes, whispered some of those pretty incantations of hers, and then woken up in her home again. I loved watchin' her mouth move around those latin words. Her upper lip had a mind of its own sometimes. That always made me smile and feel weird in my stomach. Those other girls are so mean to her. They don't know what a great thing they got. I don't even think Cordelia knows what a great thing she is. I laugh to myself.

"Probably weird how much I think about Cordelia." I say out loud. The echo startles me as it bounces around for a full minute.

I can feel my heartbeat in my fingertips that gave me such a scare. I hadn't realized just how quiet it was until now. I let out a slow whistle. I listen and hear it travel out into the distance and come back to me over and over like one of them boomerangs. It feels weird like a grasshopper bouncin' round in my head. It sounds kinda like the cicada songs and it makes me miss home even more.

"Stevie, ya gotta help me." I mumble to myself, it isn't quiet enough to escape an echo.

I lay back thinkin' on the sound of her voice washin' over me in the parlor of Miss Robichaux's. I was there with Zoe, Queenie, Nan, Madison, Fiona, and of course, Cordelia. I had been thinkin' to myself that it couldn't get any better than that moment. My Stevie singin' to me, and my tribe there to support me.

My eyes jolt open… My Tribe!


	4. Chapter 4: Iris

So I have been watching everyone here and I'm starting to gather that some serious shit went down before I got here. I guess you could say that that is my superpower, perceptiveness. Cordelia Goode, she was going by Cordelia Foxx when I first met her but changed it shortly after that, she is the head mistress here. She is also what they call the Supreme. She is absolutely beautiful and is just so nice and smart. Before I ran off and dropped out, I don't remember any of the teachers or principals being as cool as her. She even caught me smoking once and she just asked that I didn't let the younger girls see me do it and to be careful. She is usually a pretty happy go lucky person but sometimes she gets real moody or disappears for a few days. When she does Queenie and Zoe always step it up really well and cover for her. They never seem upset or annoyed by it either, just concerned. That is when I started to really pay attention.

Through some careful spying and questioning I found out about how the school used to be comprised of just those three and a couple other girls. There was some test to see who would be the next supreme. (Which seems very strange to me because Cordelia owns her role as the supreme, she wouldn't have had to tell me that she was the one in charge because she clearly has her shit together!) Well I guess that during that test a couple of girls actually lost their lives. One was that super bitchy actress Madison Montgomery. The other was that girl who had been burned by her old church Misty Day. Last time that she disappeared I happened to be cutting class to catch a smoke out back. I heard someone coming so I had ducked down below the windowsill and looked in. I saw Zoe and Queenie talking. They were being super hushed so I knew it was important.

"I mean we have to do something for her Zo. She's still falling apart and it's been months. I don't mind taking over when she needs time and everything but I'm worried at this point." Queenie had said.

"She's just got to go through it you know. I'm sure she'll be fine." Zoe said.

"That's the same shit we've been saying since the seven wonders. Girl, we've got to find some help."

"Everyone deals with things differently. You know that her and Misty were… close."

"Is that a joke? Honey, we both know that that her and Misty…" Her voice trailed off when Cordelia turned a corner having heard all too much.

She disappeared for a whole week after that. A couple weeks ago, a girl came into her potions class wearing a shawl and she walked out of the room for fifteen minutes and when she returned her eyes were red and puffy. Anytime that people aren't talking to her she seems to get so lost in thought, staring out of windows, playing with her necklace, or just staring into space. Her and Misty must have been close for her to be so lost. I know what it is like to lose someone and it isn't easy. I don't know how Cordelia can handle all the pressure of running this place. I can understand her need to disappear, if even for a moment.

"Iris?" My heart races as the voice of that sweet boy Kyle whose tuxedo I'd made fun when I arrived startles me.

"Yes, sir?" I ask. He always blushes when I call him sir.

"Miss Cordelia wants to see you in her office." He mutters.

Have you ever felt your blood turn into lava? Because in a moment that happened to me. She must have found out somehow. She knows that I'm not a real witch. I immediately start coming up with a plan or an excuse, my brain is firing on a cylinders but coming up with nothing as I follow Kyle to her office. I sit down across from her at her desk.

"Hello Iris." She smiles warmly, setting down her paperwork and folding her hands on the desktop. She always makes you feel like the only person in the room which usually is lovely but currently is making me crawl in my own skin.

"Hello Miss Cordelia. How are you this afternoon?" I ask smiling through my pounding heart.

"I am doing well, enjoying the spring weather as usual. It is my favorite season you know. Iris Honey, do you kow why I may have brought you here?" She asks getting rather serious.

"Well, I'm not real sure actually. Am I in trouble for smoking again? I promise I've been really careful not to let anyone see or anything!" I begin to apologize.

"No, no, no. I of course think that it is in your best interest to stop that while you're still young but I would never force my beliefs on someone. I want all of you girls to be free thinkers, not to be under anyone's thumb." Her passion and honesty feel so foreign to me.

"Okay, then I have no idea why I'm here." I say.

"I was just reviewing some files here the other morning and I noticed a lot of incomplete information on yours." She starts clearly waiting for me to jump in. I sit unmoving looking directly into her eyes.

"I remember that a lot was blank when you first filled out the paperwork but I had assumed that Queenie or Zoe had had you finish it. So maybe we could go over some of this?"

"Oh, yeah of course." I am sweating more than I ever have before.

"Okay, so first can you give me your date of birth?"

"November 8th, 1998." I say plainly.

"Alright, so sixteen years old. Now your parents' names" she doesn't look up from her paperwork. I freeze.

"Is that a problem, sweetheart?" she asks sweetly as she puts my file down to look at me again.

"No, I was just distracted, sorry. Their names are John and Laura." I spit out the first two names that come to mind.

"Okay, and an emergency number that we could contact them at?"

"Um yes, contact number. Um, 555-276-8939" She scrawls the numbers out.

"Home address?"

"Um, somewhere on Denver Street." I look down at the desk.

"Alright, dear, I think that should do it for now. You only have 15 minutes left of the incantations class that you should have been at but why don't you go ahead and take a little break." She smiles snapping the folder shut. I quickly push away from the desk and try to fight the urge to sprint out of the room.

"And Iris?" she starts. I freeze unable to turn and face her. "You know that you are safe here right? That no one will get to you if you don't want them to? You are under the protection of the coven now. We are your family." She says. The lava turns to ice in my veins. I continue out the door and lay down with my face buried in my pillow for the next fifteen minutes.


	5. Chapter 5: Misty

"That's the ticket my lovely!" Myrtle's voice echoed in and out of the darkness, but I couldn't see her at all.

"Myrtle? I'm gettin' real confused here. Is my key outta here somethin' to do with findin' my tribe?"

"Oh you are so close my dear, so close I can almost taste it! But think even harder, what is your heart telling you, Misty? Maybe something that you were not yet aware of?" I can hear her smilin' even though I can't see her.

"Now come on, how am I sposed to figure somethin' out that I ain't ever known. That don't make no sense to me Myrtle, this afterlife or between life stuff is just givin' me a headache! Now are you just here to mess with me even more or what?" I shout.

"On the contrary! I'm here to help you along. Someone here on the otherside but really like you to be sending in all of this help! Why I was left to burn at the stake and all they sent me was a little old swamp witch."

"Hey now! Maybe I shoulda just left you as ashes!" I shout. I know she could hear my smirk. I could never do somethin' mean as that!

"That just wouldn't have been in you dear. Now think how would you be expected to find your tribe here in the dark if there is no one else around." She asks.

"Maybe I wouldn't. Or maybe…" I trail off thinkin' on it a bit

"Misty I think you've got this figured out. Just remember to listen to your heart. It is beating for something. You just have to realize what that is." I feel her soft gloved hand on my shoulder and feel more comfort from that contact than almost anything else that I'd ever felt.

Sometimes I thought that the girls back in the Coven were my tribe. Other times I thought that they were my worst enemies. I always have been real good at readin' people and their auras and vibes and all that but they were the hardest bunch I'd ever met. All in the same conversation their auras could change between safe and threatening ten times! Is Myrtle tryin' to say that they were my true tribe all along? I hear my heartbeat real loud in my ear just then. This whole time I thought that I was tryin' to find a way back to my swamp home, maybe I'm sposed to be somewhere else.

I think about Queenie. She sure could be loud and a real bitch sometimes but I got real good vibes from her mosta the time. She was one of them girls who seemed real mean and tough but it was just to protect herself and you can't blame a girl for that. I wish I could be more like that actually. She sure could make us all laugh too! I really miss Queenie.

I think about Zoe. She was such a soft and laid back girl. Open to anything. I liked that about her. She is that kind of friend who's real loyal no matter what you done or had done to you she'd still be right beside ya. She had a whole lotta darkness in her though, like a storm was going on in her mind all the time. But I think that in the end she was good. A good person to have on your side at least.

And then I think of sweet, beautiful Cordelia. Of our laughs, our serious talks, the way she'd look at me from across the breakfast table… and when I open my eyes, I am in my bed back at Miss Robichaux's.


	6. Chapter 6: Iris

I decide to cut potions today even though it's the one class that I'm especially good in. If you know chemistry and a little slide of hand then you're golden. Instead I am sitting on the roof staring at the sky smoking and sipping on whiskey. It sure is easier than facing Ms. Goode. It's like when she looks at me she can see everything good and bad that's ever happened to me.

This is by far the most expensive bourbon that I have ever enjoyed. Zoey likes bourbon too and we've had a glass together a couple of times. She just told me it would be our little secret. The girls here are just so nice. It's almost like a real family.

With the thought of that I finish my glass in a swallow and quickly pour another. Who needs family, I am my own tribe. I don't need them.


	7. Chapter 7: Misty

It took me no time at all to know that things had changed 'round here. Even before I got the chance to look around I could feel it in the air. They must have found them a new supreme! I only hope that it ain't that Madison girl. She sure was good lookin' but she was as wicked a witch as I'd ever seen before. I don't think that it's her though cause it feels real good in here. All of those bad vibes that I used to get from this place? They is totally gone. It is like the coven had done some sort of cleansin'.

I look around and see that my room actually looks the exact same as I'd left it. The only thing different is on my dresser there is this fancy lookin' jar and a picture of me in a frame next to it. Someone musta sure missed me to put my picture up like that. I can't move my feet fast enough to find my Cordelia. My god does it feel good to be back here! I run out of the bedroom door and take the stairs two at a time.

"Dee?" I call out. Everyone must be busy hangin' out somewhere or learnin' somethin'.

I peek in a couple of bedrooms and see that they have all changed and have a whole lotta bunk beds in them all of them except for one that Zoey and Kyle share, one for Queenie, and then Cordelia's. I push the door open real lightly. I inhale and smell her scent of wild orchids and clean cotton sheets. My heart flutters like a butterfly's wings in my chest and I know that I've gotta find her.

"Dee!" I call out a little louder. All of a sudden the halls are filled with probably a hundred girls. I push around them, there's only one face I want to see.

"Any of you girls know where Cordelia is?" I ask but they all look like they're in a rush, they must be goin' to lunch.

I keep pushin' but I'm goin' against the flow and I can't believe how many girls are here! They're all a laughin' and carryin' on so happy to be here. Everyone has such good vibes that I can't help but smile. This is what Cordelia always dreamed of! I got so distracted that I suddenly find myself on the floor starin' at the ceiling havin' run into some girl. By the time that I get up to apologize she is already up and walkin' the other way. Strange though, she seemed real dark. Not evil vibes or nothin' but real heavy compared to all these girls.

I get up and on my way and standin' on my tip toes I notice familiar blonde hair. It's longer than I remember but I'd recognize her anywhere. It's my Dee! She changes directions and starts to sneak on back to her room. I slither through the crowd followin' the few glances of her blonde hair and white blouse through the crowd. They all move past her door way, now shut. I stand in front of it and take a deep breath. The butterflies are in my stomach now and they're tyin' it in knots! I smile and knock three times. I have to cover my laugh I'm so nervous and giddy!

She doesn't answer so I knock again. I'm sure she doesn't like when her alone time is interrupted, boy is she gonna be surprised when she sees me standin' here! I knock again. She doesn't answer. So I know that it's real rude and against the rules but I just can't wait out here know more. I turn the knob and creak the door open just a little bit and take a peek in. She's sitting at her armoire and straightening out her hair.

"Dee! Your eyes are back!" I shout running up to her before I can think better of it.

"I miss you, Misty." She says it real quiet straight into the mirror.

My body goes all numb and tingly when I notice that I can't see myself in the mirror. And that Cordelia has no idea that I'm standing right behind her.


	8. Chapter 8: Iris

I'm not drunk enough to throw up or stumble to badly on my own but certainly enough to struggle through the crowded hallway. I manage to only get plowed over twice. Putting something in my stomach is definitely high priority at the moment. I take a plate of spaghetti and garlic bread and sit down. 

From where I sit I can see Miss Cordelia's room if I lean back. She looks a bit upset as she exits so I slide back a bit further. She suddenly freezes at the door next to hers. That door is always shut and locked and I've noticed that it is usually where she goes when she disappears. Today it is wide open. 

"Staff meeting! Staff meeting immediately!" She shouts ascending the stairs and silencing the whole room of witches.

Quickly Kyle, Zoey, Queenie, and the few maids are pulled into the parlor and the giggles and whispers start all throughout the dining hall. I want to tell them all to shut the hell up but manage to control myself. I creep over a bit closer to the parlor door and listen in. 

"Why is it open then?" I hear Cordelia shout. I had previously never heard her raise her voice at all even with the especially rebellious students. 

"I don't know, Cord." Queenie says quietly. 

"You are all ready to swear on your lives that you haven't touched that door? I am not playing here I will subject you to a panel of clairvoyants if I so much as get an inkling that any of you are involved." 

"Calm down honey, I've never seen you so worked up." Queenie tries to comfort her with a hand on her back and Cordelia shrugs her off. 

"You know that none of us would do that. You have the only key right?" She continues. The others just look shocked and afraid at this point.

"Yes I do, it's right here on my necklace as it always is. You guys are free to go for now. I want everyone assembled in an hour, students too. I want you all to check your attendance logs for the day and let me know about any discrepancies. I will do the same and I am going to the k and see if anything is missing. I don't want to be disturbed am I clear?"

Why of all days did I have to choose today to skip class? I begin to sweat and the food in front of me suddenly looks disgusting. Fuck. The girl next to me starts to eye me suspiciously so I quickly start to recite numbers and song lyrics, anything to clear my head. Fucking clairvoyants will be the death of me. I excuse myself early and hide out in my bunk trying to see this situation going anywhere except for my immediate expulsion or worse.


	9. Chapter 9: Misty

"Cordelia, I'm right here, you really can't see me?" I say to her in the mirror.

She sighs and slides away from the mirror and walks right past me. I didn't think my heart could hurt any more than it already had been but when she walked past me, her pretty brown eyes still blind to me, my heart just shattered. I couldn't stop myself from cryin' and carryin' on and callin' after her. I followed her out to the hallway and saw her freeze. Had she heard me?

"Dee?" I ask quietly.

Now I usually don't see much when it comes to colors of auras, just feelins and stuff. But when Cordelia saw that my bedroom door was open her whole body went real stiff and the air around her went black and crimson red. I could hear her heart screamin' and everything. She walked over and frantically made sure that the jar was still there and the picture of me. Was it Dee who'd kept my room like this?

I want to follow her as she storms out of the room yellin' to try to get her to notice me but I can't help but look past her to the jar on the dresser. It's hittin' me all of a sudden what must be in there. I'd been so distracted by bein' back in the house that I hadn't heard it callin' to me. That jar has what's left of my body in it. This sure is a strange feelin'. Now that I'm not all excited about getting' to Cordelia and lettin' know I'm here I can feel it. How I'm here and not here all at the same time. I step into the hallway again and find myself right in front of Cordelia again. I would give anything in the whole world just to feel her givin' me a hug right now. I have got to figure a way to get my body back!


	10. Chapter 10: Iris

"Hey girls, everyone needs to be down in the assembly hall in about twenty minutes okay?" Zoey pokes her head into our room and announces. The other five girls that had been standing in here talking nod to her.

I grip my wadded up sheet to my chest. I don't have a backup plan this time. If I can't stay here then I'm sleeping on the streets. The manager at Dunkin' had started to get privy to my game so I know that I can't go there again, and there aren't too many safe places for a young girl by herself out there. Or worse what if there is some sort of stiff punishment? Like what if they turn me into some sort of animal? Or use my body parts for their potions? Or burn me at the stake? No, this is too much, I cannot do this. I grab my ratty old back pack, throw in my couple of outfits, and head for the door.

"Iris, hi." The last person on this earth that I'd want to see steps in front of me.

"Oh, Hi Ms. Goode." I say to the ground.

"Honey, call me Cordelia. I just wanted to make sure that you were going to make the meeting tonight. I know that you struggle a bit with attendance but wanted to make sure that you knew that this was a mandatory meeting." The warmth of her smile and tone make the harshness of her words all the more eerie.

"Oh, of course Ms… I mean Cordelia. I'll be there."

"Good. I'll be sure to see you then." She smiles and clicks her heels away.

I guess I'm stuck. Honestly, if I have to go out of this world at least I'm doing it while I'm at the top. And at least it will be by someone I respect. That is certainly not how I saw my end happening but I'll gladly accept it. I set my bag down by my bed and head for the annex where the assembly hall is located. I sit next to some girls that I did a project with in my incantations class last week. They're pretty nice, certainly not the worst company to depart from this world with. Cordelia steps up to the microphone and everyone slowly hushes into silence.

"Good evening girls. I'm sure that you were all looking forward to some free time tonight but unfortunately there has been a little incident that has hit very close to my heart. As you all know I like to keep an environment of trust and freedom here, but unfortunately that trust appears to have been broken today. There is one room in this house that more than any others I have asked you girls to respect and to leave in one piece. Up until today you have all been very good and understanding about this. But today I found the door to Misty Day's room left open. I had not entered or exited the room and I am the only one with the key." She pauses for a long time scanning to the room and I can feel the burning hot lava again, churning and bubbling in my stomach.

"What's more is that I cannot understand why the room was entered. Nothing was disturbed and there is nothing of value there. So if one of you did this I just, I really need to understand why and maybe to help you understand why it cannot happen again." I have never seen Cordelia so upset about anything before, she has cried off all of her makeup and her voice sounds hoarse from it.

"Now if one of you has something to do with this and confesses now, then there will be no repercussions. This does not need to be a terrible thing. But, if one of you has done something and you chooses to lie about it… than there will be a very serious discussion about your stay here at Miss Robichaux's. I don't want there to be any fear or hostility here and would love for things to return to normal as soon as possible so now you are all free to go back to your rooms, no common space tonight, and I will be waiting in my office. If someone would like to talk to me they must do so by 9 PM. After that I will be left with no choice but to escalate the investigation. Thank you ladies." She steps down from the podium and walks away before anyone can stop her or comfort her.

The house is a flurry of hushed whispers and I make a dash for my room. I am almost to the staircase when she grabs my arm. I don't turn to look at her, I just kind of stop moving but remain at the end of her reach. When I don't respond to her she finally speaks.

"Iris honey, can I talk to you?" her voice is as light and unassuming as ever.

"Do I have a choice?" I wish I knew how to not be mean to those who are nice to me.

"You always have a choice, but I'd really like to speak with you." Even my hostility can't bring fire from the peaceful pool that is Cordelia Goode. I don't answer her with words I just follow her to the kitchen where we are alone.

"Iris is there anything you want to tell me or maybe talk to me about?"

I shake my head no. Damn it I know I should tell her about skipping class but the words are all caught in my throat.

"I just want you to know that it's safe to talk to me and that if you made a mistake or something that it would be okay. I'm not going to yell or get upset. I care about you and I don't ever want you to feel afraid of me or anyone else here."

"I'm not afraid of anything Miss Cordelia." A voice that is hardly my own comes out of me.

"Just know that my office is open. In case you have anything that you want to tell me. Anything you want to say." She disappears into her office.

I go upstairs and think of a plan.


	11. Chapter 11: Misty

I find myself just pacin' and pacin' in my old room. This is just about the most frustratin' thing that I've ever had to go through. I just wish that she could hear me or see more or I could just give her a sign or somethin'. Or anyone really. I never knew how god it was to be seen until it got taken away. I sit down on the bay window seat and look outside. It sure is pretty out tonight. I'd sure like to take a walk with Cordelia. She's too busy down in her office worryin' about who left my door open. I can just imagine her surprise if she knew it was me!

I jump about a foot in the air when the door opens and shuts. I'm kinda glad that Cordelia can't see me right now cause that would have been embarrassin'. She looks pretty even with no makeup on and I sure wish I could just wipe those tears away. She flops down on the bed all stretched out and starin' at the ceiling. I can tell she's exhausted. She slides her heels off. I wish I could take them off for her and then rub her feet.

I crawl onto the bed and look at her face real close. It's crazy all the details that you can notice when you're up close this way. Like how she's got more laugh lines on one side than the other cause of that crooked smile of hers. And how her eyelids flutter just a little bit even when they're shut. And how her upper lip sticks out just a little more than her bottom one. And how somehow I didn't notice that I am head over heels in love with this perfect woman.

It's strange how I can feel things like blood rushin' around me and my heart racin' even when I don't technically have those things anymore. I sure still have hands though cause boy are they shakin'! I can't resist, even though I know it's probably wrong or at least real creepy and that my hand will go straight through her I have to try to feel her. I run my flattened palm over her shoulder and down her exposed forearm. To my surprise, she shifts a little and I freeze. It was almost like she felt that.

I do the same thing on the other side of her, move my hand over her shoulder then down her forearm. She shifts again. I use my fingertips this time and run them over her neck and dare to trace a collarbone. A real quiet high pitched moan type noise comes out of her and I can barely keep it together. At this point I am straddling her and leaning down just a few inches above her. I flatten both palm and slide them over her torso and she bites her lip. I lean into her ear.

"Let me take the pain away, baby." I whisper.

She lets out another moan, louder this time, and starts takin' off her shirt. I guess it's time for me to admit that this is not the first time that I've checked out Cordelia's breast, but I swear to Mother Nature and all the crocodiles in the bayou, in nothin' but a black lace bra they had to be the most beautiful things I'd ever laid my eyes on. I run my palm over them and it is a torture almost as bad as hell to not be able to feel the weight of 'em in my hands. She bites at her own bra strap as she slides her hand down the front of her pants. I lay down beside her propped up on one elbow and keep on whisperin' things in her ear.

"You deserve to feel good, Dee."

"You look so beautiful."

"I wish I could feel how wet you are, babe."

She starts to thrust her hand faster and faster, her breathing fast and erratic. I know it's comin' and I am excited to see it but my heart hurts thinkin' that this is gonna be over with. I can tell she's frustrated and needs release. I'm not surprised that she's one of them ladies that's wound up so tight that they have trouble finishin'.

"Come on baby, let it go. Cum for me Cordelia, I want to see you cum." I whisper and run my hand over her cheek.

All of a sudden she's moanin' and shaking and biting at her shoulder's skin to keep from calling out. I feel like I'm meltin' into a puddle and take back bein' afraid of this moment. This was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.


	12. Chapter 12: Iris

Why do I even need to stay here? I haven't lived in one place for longer than a few months… well ever. I really should just pack my bag and head out. I know that I'm not going to though. For some reason or another I know that this house is where I need to be right now. I know that it is in my best interest to go down to Miss Goode's office and talk to her now before the time runs out, but at this point I just want a good night's sleep. If I end up worse for it so be it.

Predictably I have horrible dreams all night. Dreams of flames dancing around my ankles while I'm tied to a post in the desert, dreams where I'm in front of the whole school and all I have to do is say what happened into a microphone to save myself but I no longer have a voice, dreams where Miss Cordelia's sad eyes look away from me in disappointment as she closes the door kicking me out forever. I don't know if I'll be able to handle that look on her face.

"Iris. Iris wake up." Cordelia is sitting on the edge of my bed and gently shaking my shoulder. I open my eyes but don't move.

"I want to see you in my office." She says it plainly but with a reassuring smile. I nod and sit up with a yawn.

Here it is. The beginning of the end. I guess that the only thing that I can do is tell her the truth. She may hate me and think I'm lying but there really isn't another option at this point. I follow her all the way to her office and sit down in front of her desk just like last time.

"Iris I know that you know why you're here." She starts, I don't say a word.

"You weren't in my class yesterday. My class which was at 4 PM. You are the only one who was absent from a class at this time that doesn't have an alibi for your whereabouts." She says.

"Well if you think I've done something wrong then why don't you just kick me out already." There goes my damn attitude again.

"You always go on the offense when you're scared Iris. You don't need to defend yourself here, I'm not trying to attack you. I'm simply asking you where you were." She leans towards me speaking softly. My rising anger only proves how right she is. I take a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Miss Cordelia. I just thought you'd be mad about me missing your class and that you wouldn't believe me anyway. I skipped your class to smoke and have a drink on the roof. I just needed a break." I finally confess.

"Were you with anyone?" She asks.

"Well no, that was the point. I just wanted to be alone for a minute." Now I'm nervous. She pauses for a long time, folds her hands prayer style, and covers her mouth with them thinking.

"I want to believe you, but I just really wish that we had a way to validate your story. Are you sure that there was no one who saw you out there? Or even saw you coming off of the roof to verify that you weren't in Misty's room?" I've never felt so simultaneously terrified and supported in my life.

My brain begins to rush through every moment from that afternoon. I know that nobody saw me sneak out there. I was sure to wait until Kyle was busy with dinner and that all of the maids were busy before I crawled out there. I know that everyone was in class either teaching or learning so there is no way that they saw me out there. There has to be a way, I can't leave this house now. Shit, that's right, I know someone saw me coming in!

"Wait, there was someone, she saw me coming in from the roof. She had to have seen me." I suddenly say standing up.

"Who was it?" She asks.

"I don't know I hadn't seen her before, but when I came in from the roof I ran into some girl, we knocked each other over. She had big blonde curly hair though and was wearing these boots and a shawl. She was gone before I could even apologize." I started with excitement but slow down as I realize that Miss Cordelia has gone rigid and her face is as pale as a ghost.


	13. Chapter 13: Misty

It's only 8 in the mornin' but I'm woken up all a sudden by slammin' doors. Cordelia storms into the room and leans over my vanity with a hand on either side of the chair. Her eyes are shut real tight. You know how I said I usually can't see colors of auras and stuff? Well it must be a developin' talent cause right now there is an aura swirlin' around her that's all blue and black and crimson. She don't know what to feel right now!

"I wish I know what was goin' on." I say.

"How dare her." She says it real quiet before slamming the chair into the ground. I've never seen her get so rough before not even with that awful husband of her's. I sure am glad he's out of the picture. Not that I could ever tell her how I'm feelin' anyhow. It's not my first time likin' a lady but I'm pretty sure that Dee's not like that. Especially for little ol' me. That's not important right now anyhow what's important is findin' out what's wrong and how I can get back here for real.

All of a sudden she is headin' out of the room so I follow her and she heads right for Queenie's, and Zoey and Kyle's rooms.

"Staff meeting, my office." She shouts knockin' on their doors.

I have to kinda do this half jog thing just to keep up with her. Everyone throws on some robes and slippers and makes their way into the office too. They all look real tired and confused, but it sure is good to see them. A tear hops into my eye. I sure wish I could say hi to 'em.

"So I talked to Iris Oxendine this morning. She claims that she was on the roof smoking and drinking during my class." She is clearly irate.

"That doesn't seem like that big of a deal, we used to drink all the time when we were here as students, you even took a shot with me once." Zoe begins.

"That was a lapse in judgment and is beside the point." She huffs.

"I asked if anybody could have seen her up there just to confirm her story. And she says that she ran into someone when she was coming off of the roof. And then she proceeded to describe Misty." Suddenly Cordelia's anger turns into tears which she real quick tries to cover up with and hand over her face. Queenie puts her hand on her back and this time she doesn't brush it away.

If there was blood in my veins it would have just run cold. I hadn't even thought about the fact that the girl in the hall had knocked me down when anyone else just moves straight through me… did she really see me?

"Well I mean let's just calm down here and try to figure out what is going on there has to be an explanation for this." Zoey begins.

"She has to be acting out or something. I know that she's had a very rough past both by her secrecy and demeanor and because sometimes I can see images from it when she's near me." Cordelia is openly weepin and blowin' her nose now.

"Okay, but could she have known what Misty looked like? I mean, if she'd never seen her before than how could she have described her?" Queenie offered, more towards Zoe since Cordelia clearly couldn't handle it.

"There's a picture of Misty with her remains in her old bedroom. So she must have seen it when she went in there. I mean maybe she just doesn't know how to get positive attention so she does bad things and thinks that the negative attention is just as good."

"Cordelia, listen. Why would she have told you that description knowing that it would incriminate her? I think that we need to investigate the possibility that she ran into this person and just described her to you thinking it was another student." Everyone is noddin' includin' me. Everyone except Cordelia, that is.

"Yes please, let's talk about how I lost the most innocent, kind, amazing woman that I have ever known and how it's all my fault and how yeah she's probably not trapped in hell, she's probably just traipsing around the halls again. Let's just talk about that and I can get my hopes up real high and then just find out that not only is she still gone, but one of my most cherished new students is a liar!" She screams it at them. Everyone exchanges looks real worried like.

I can't hardly take this no more. I walk up behind her and let my hands hover over her shoulders. I see a little bit of tension leave her. I begin to whisper some incantations she'd taught me. Her breathing slows and she relaxes into the high back of her office chair. Everyone looks even more confused.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got so upset." She says it almost like she's in a trance. She sure was a good teacher.

"Cordelia, it's okay. We all know that there is a lot of emotion tied into this for you, and honestly there is quite a bit for us too. Both because we cared about Misty too and losing her was hard, but also because we can see how hard it was on you. But I think that if you were a bit less emotional about this that you would see where we were coming from a bit more. How about this, How about we go talk to Iris again and we figure a little more of it out and you just take a couple of days to yourself." Zoe says with a soft hand on top of Cordelia's.

"Yeah girl, you do you and we'll take care of this." Queenie adds, back to rubbing her back.

"You girls are right. I don't think that I can deal with this, at least not today. I think I'll take the day and go get some of Misty's swamp mud. Maybe spend the night out there. I'll be back tomorrow morning though and we'll have another meeting and see what we can figure out." She smiles and squeezes Zoe's hand and nods up to Queenie.

While her bein' gone for the night is breakin' my heart I am much more concerned with findin' this Iris girl, and seein' if she can really hear me and see me!


	14. Chapter 14: Iris

"Why would you say that? Why would you even say that to me? Do you think that that is funny? Are you trying to get a rise out of me?" She says it firmly but quietly.

"What? I was just describing the girl, the one I ran into." I am whispering now.

"You just described Misty Day. I want you to go to your room and wait until I come back to get you because I am very hurt by this." She is trying to sedate her anger but I know that it is there and I am just so confused. Describing Misty Day? I don't even know what Misty Day looked like!

I push away from the desk and stomp up to my room and slam the door. I don't care if I wake the other girls up at this point, this is bullshit. I should have known that she would be just like everyone else. I tried to tell the truth and she made me feel like it would be alright and she still flipped out on me. I lie on my back and stare at the bunk above me trying to clear my head. My thoughts are racing way too fast for that though.

Honestly she did seem really genuinely upset though. Not like she was just freaking out for no reason like other people have. I would never intentionally hurt her though. Especially not involving something with someone she cared about who she lost. I mean if someone said that they saw my sister walking around I wouldn't just yell at them, I would knock them the fuck out! But, I couldn't have seen Misty, she's dead. So maybe there is just someone who looks like her here? Or maybe someone even dressed up like her. Man if someone did that and I found out who it was I'd have to put them in their place because that's not something to be messed with.

It's a few hours later when I see Cordelia walking out to her Tesla Model S. That's been one of my favorite things about living here. I get to have consistent access to the internet and books and magazines so I get to learn about anything that I want to. I was so disconnected before. But just last week I was looking up different cars and Kyle and I were looking up the different makes and models and which were the best for the environment. The Tesla Model S ranked pretty damn high which doesn't surprise me. Cordelia cares about the earth a lot.

All the girls have slowly started getting up and ready. Everyone is still a bit hushed and suspicious since last night's talk. I don't think that they know what to do or how to behave. I want to just tell them, "Hey don't worry! She caught who she was after!" but I don't I just lay there and wait.

"Hey is Iris Oxendine in here?" Queenie booms into my room.

"Yes Ma'am." I sit up trying not to let her intimidate me. Her presence is way too strong for me though.

"Can you come downstairs with me?" She asks, and while Cordelia likes to say that we all have a choice, I know that Queenie would not be extending the same sentiment.

I nod and follow her. It's just her and Zoe this time, Kyle is preparing breakfast. That boy is so sweet, some mornings he makes one thing for all of us but on the weekends he actually asks what every single girl wants and makes it for them. Whether it is waffles, an egg sandwich, a veggie omelet, or even just a toaster strudel he takes care in making every single order. One time he even made a girl her own pizza for breakfast because that is what sounded good to her.

"Well, as you may have guessed, Cordelia talked to us." I don't say anything I just stare out a window.

"We want you to describe the girl that you ran into again, and give us every detail that you can." Zoe is holding a picture frame in a manner that it is very obvious that she doesn't want me to see it.

"I only saw a glimpse of her and I didn't think anything of it at the time so I don't remember much about her, plus I had been drinking so I'm sorry but I don't remember that much detail. But she had big curly light blonde hair, she had this shawl thing wrapped around her, and I remember she was wearing these kick ass boots with heels on them, I remember cause I wanted them. I think that she was wearing a white top with some sort of vest but I could be wrong. She was really pale skinned, but I didn't get a look at her face really, she walked away really quickly and everyone was headed to dinner so you know how full that hallway gets." Zoe looks down at the picture looking very surprised and then shows it to Queenie.

"And there wasn't anything on her head? No hat or head wrap or anything?" Queenie asked.

"Um, leading the witness." Zoe mumbles.

"She didn't. I do remember that for a fact because I could see all of her light blonde hair when she was walking away." Queenie and Zoey look at each other again.

"She's describing Misty, but she isn't describing this picture." Zoe says.

"So that at least proves that if she's making this up, it's not because she saw this picture." Queenie responds.

"You know I am still right here." I remind them.

"Girl, you better not be making any of this shit up because I swear to god if you are and we start this process over with Cordelia, I'm going to fuck you up!" She turns to me aggressively and I back up.

"Listen, I wouldn't do that especially to Miss Cordelia. I'm just going to have to prove it to you, I'm going to go find that girl now." I say and swing the door open. My jaw drops.

"See! It's you! Here she is!" I say excitedly throwing my arm dramatically in front of me to present the girl that had been waiting on the other side.


	15. Chapter 15: Misty

I tried to keep up with Queenie and Zoe but I got distracted by watchin' Cordelia leave. I wish I could go with her out to that swamp and show her around. I have to wipe at a tear thinkin' about how she said she goes out there sometimes and that it makes her feel better. I can't believe a beautiful woman like her misses me so much. I can't wait to figure out my way back so that I can tell her that none of this was her fault.

By the time that I look up and see Queenie and Zoe and some pretty Native American girl goin' into Dee's office I run real quick but it's already too late. The door is shut behind them. Now why is it that I had no trouble openin' my own door when I first got her but not I can even touch this door knob. These ghost rules sure are annoyin'. That has to be Iris! She has that sad dark aura that I remember from the hall that day!

Man it could just about drive me crazy being stuck out here not knowing what they're sayin' in there. I hope that they don't scare her off, those girls sure can be mean, especially when they're protectin' one of their own. I just know that they'll get this figured out though! I watch Kyle laughin' in the kitchen with a big group of girls. He's makin' smiley face pancakes for 'em. It's neat hearin' him talk so good. He talks more proper then me now! Maybe I'll have him teach me a thing or two when I get back.

All of a sudden the door swings open. I stare wide eyed at that pretty young girl.

"See! It's you! Here she is!" She shouts and points her arm at me. I look over both my shoulders real quick. There ain't no one behind me.

"Me? You can see me?!" I ask pointin' a shakin' finger to my chest.

"Um, duh I can see you, you're standing right in front of me. And now you have to tell Zoe and Queenie and Miss Cordelia wherever she is that you saw me coming down from the roof when we ran into each other!" She shouts coming closer to me. I just start cryin'.

"You had better not be making a joke right now Iris because if you are it isn't funny." Zoe gets very serious.

"What? I'm not joking, she's right there." Iris says stepping closer to me.

"They can't see me darlin', no one has been able to see me at all except you, god it's so good for someone to acknowledge me!" I just blurt out smilin' like a crocodile.

"What do you mean no one can see you? You guys can't see her?" She pleas with the girls her eyes getting' real wide.

"There's no one there Iris." Queenie says.

"Honey, my name is Misty Day. I died a while back but now I'm back. Is this your first experience with talkin' to the dead? It's alright honey you're a young witch you'll be developin' all kinds of abilities and such especially with Dee teachin' ya." I say tryin' to be real friendly.

"What's wrong?" I ask cause I've never seen a girl get so pale so fast.

"I'm going to be sick." Iris says and takes off runnin'. Queenie and Zoe go after her and I follow.

"What did her file say were her special abilities?" Queenie asks.

"Telekiniesis and object transmutation. She made one of Cordelia's earrings disappear then reappear in this little box that she had during her entry interview. Nothing spiritual." Zoe recites as they follow her up the stairs. I push past them and through the door way before she can shut it on me.

"Please, whatever you are just leave me alone." She says through tears.

"I promise I ain't here to hurt ya, but I really need your help now that you're the only one who can see me!" I plea with her. She's pacin' all over and I'm followin' her tryin' to catch her eyes.

"This cannot be happening." She weeps.

"Look I know new abilities can be kinda scary for a witch but you should be happy with it, what's really goin' on here?" I finally ask.

"This can't be happening, because I am not a witch!" She finally faces me and kinda whispers and shouts it at the same time, not wantin' the other girls to hear I bet.

"What do you mean you ain't a witch? What are you doing at the academy if you ain't a witch?" I fold my arms and look her up and down. That dark aura is makin' some sense all of a sudden; secrets will always dampen a soul.

"I'm just a worthless fucking dropout who ran away from home a few years ago. I had nowhere else to go. Living on the streets I learned some tricks and I'm pretty good at talking my way through things so getting in here was easy. It was going to just be a temporary thing until I could figure out something better. But, this is the best place I've ever lived and Miss Cordelia is so kind so I just kept the lie going. I can't be here anymore, I can't deal with this." She's just a mess cryin' on the floor now. I sit indian style next to her.

"Aw, babygirl you ain't worthless. Nobody in this world is worthless. When I first figured my powers out it was real scary for me too. I pretended it didn't happen for a little while. But after a while I couldn't ignore the dyin' things callin' to me, needin' me to restore 'em. I realized that it was a good thing, it was a blessin'. And now, even with all the terrible stuff that happened to me I wouldn't change back from a witch for anything." I say tryin' to make her feel better.

"I don't know, I don't think I can handle this. There is no way that I'm special like the other witches. It's more likely that I'm just going crazy. I mean, how do I know that you're really here and not just some hallucination?" She suddenly turns to me.

"Well, I sure don't feel like a hallucination. How about if I tell you somethin' that you couldn't possibly already know, and then you can confirm it as bein' true. Then you know that I'm not somethin' you made up cause you couldn't make up a fact you didn't know in the first place right?" I ask leanin' towards her. She nods sadly.

"How about you ask Zoe what her middle name is and I bet she tells you it's Eloise after her grandmama."

She gets up, sniffling, and leans against the door, the new council members standin' on the other side waitin' for her to open the door.

"Zoe… what's your middle name?" she asks real quiet.

"What? Why would you need to know that? Is that really important right now?" Zoe demands.

"I'm just trying to figure something out." She says frustrated.

"It's Eloise. After my Gram." Zoey says solemnly. Iris only cries harder.

"Girls, I came I soon as I got your message, now move." It's Cordelia. "Iris, I need you to open this door right now. Everything is okay, I just need to talk to you honey." She says it so intensely but with such love. Iris looks at me.

"Will you come with me to talk to her? Will you help me to prove that it's really you?" She asks. I pat her back and then jump back just a little. I was beginning to forget what human contact felt like.

"Of course I will. Now sweetie, would it be okay if I hugged you?" I ask my throat feelin' like there was a whole apple in it. She just nods fiercely. I hug her super tight to my chest and we sway and cry together until my Cordelia calls to us again.

"Let's go talk to the boss." I laugh and wipe away my own tears and then some of Iris's as well. I feel such a kindred spirit with this girl, like all of this is meant to be.


	16. Chapter 16: Iris

When Misty looks at me, I feel something that I had only felt when I was talking to Miss Cordelia. Maybe this is all going to be okay. Misty squeezes my hand and I open the door. I don't know what I expected when I opened the door but I know that I'm surprised by what does happen.

"Honey, come here. You must be so scared." She holds me tight to her chest. I'm so shocked that I don't respond at first. But eventually I wrap my arms around her too. I haven't felt human contact since my sister's death and now I've been hugged twice in one day.

"Now let's come on downstairs again, we'll get everything sorted out." She says with a hand on my shoulder.

I look back to Misty and by the way that she is looking at Miss Cordelia it makes a whole lot of sense why this has been such a big deal to Miss Cordelia. I'd disappear from time to time too if the love of my life died in my arms. We follow her to the office, hopefully for the last time today.

"The girls told me about everything. I got here as soon as I could. I just want to start by saying that I'm so sorry for my behavior earlier. This is just very personal to me." Instead of sitting across the desk from me she pulls a chair right up next to mine.

"It's okay Miss Cordelia. I know what it's like to lose someone."

"Well it's hard isn't it." She says wiping a tear and leaning closer to me.

"Which is why I hope that you can understand that it's still hard for me to believe. I don't think you're lying or anything. I just want to... Need to be very sure that you are seeing what you think you're seeing."

"To be honest I don't even understand what I'm seeing." I say to my nervously folded hands in my lap.

"You're seein' me silly girl" Misty chimes in.

"Easy for you to say" I shoot back

"Who are you talking to? Is... Is she here?" Miss Cordelia looks suddenly weak.

"Yeah, she's right over there" I point to where Misty is standing just over her shoulder.

"Wow." She smiles though tears ate in her eyes.

"Have you ever seen spirits before Iris? Have you ever had hallucinations or anything like that before?" She asks and the words cut like knives.

"Do you seriously not believe me mom?" I say more emotionally than I intend to.

"Did you just call me... Oh Iris, honey." She reaches out to hug me and I realize what I've just said. Even misty is silent.

"What? No. I've got to go." I push away and bolt.

"Iris, wait what's the matter?" Misty tries to follow after me but I slam the door behind me. No one is stopping me.


	17. Chapter 17: Misty

You know Dee looks beautiful all the time but watchin' her worry about this girl all covered in dried up swamp mud just takes my breath away. I would do anything to get back and anything to help Iris. I squeeze her hand to give her courage and we all walk down to the office together. I'm feelin' so much peace. I don't know where she's at but Myrtle must be smilin' wherever she is.

I'm so distracted while Dee and Iris are talkin' cause I can't stop lookin' at her. I wish I'd known while I was alive that I felt this way about her. I wonder if it would have changed things. I knew we were friends but I never knew that she cared so much about me! Surely she could never feel the love for me that I do with her. I'm okay with that though. I'm just happy bein' close to her.

"Is… is she here?" she asks snapping me out of my trance. I take a step closer to her.

'I'm right here baby.' I think to myself.

"Have you ever seen spirits before Iris? Have you ever had hallucinations before?" Dee tries to ask it gently but I see Iris getting' real uncomfortable and scared again.

"Do you seriously not believe me, mom?" she almost shouts. My brows go straight up in shock and I don't say a word.

"Did you just call me… Oh Iris, Honey." Dee tries to reach out for her. But as the realization of what just happened hits Iris it is just too late. Her aura is swirling red anger and yellow fear.

"Iris, wait, what's the matter?" I start and try to run after her. She's smart and she shuts the door behind herself though.

Now a girl just found out that she's a witch or a medium or somethin' and recovers in fifteen minutes, but she finds out that she thinks of someone like a momma and she runs away? This day is just gettin' weirder and weirder. I turn and look at Dee and she looks real sad and guilty. Even kinda panicked like she don't know what to do next. I think she should go after Iris that's what I'd do but I don't think that that's Dee's style with the girls. She wants them to be free and grow up to be just exactly who they are. She tries to be less emotional about raisin' 'em than I could ever be. But try as she might, Cordelia sits down at her desk and just starts to cryin'. She really loves this girl, I can feel it.

I sit down on her desk as close next to her as I can get without goin' right through her. I hope she can feel some comfort. She lays her head on her desk and run a hand over her, wishin' I could comfort her by runnin' my fingers through her hair. I focus with everything I got, all the love, all the strength, all the emotion I can muster and when I reach for her again a strand of her pretty gold hair moves across her shoulder. I jump back with surprise and she sits straight up, eyes all wet and open wide.

"Misty… are you here?" it comes out in a whisper. I focus again and this time brush against her cheek. Her hand quickly rises to meet the place that I touched.

"I can't believe it. I mean I didn't think she was lying or anything but it's just… you're here." She starts to cry again and so do I.

"If it's really you, Misty come here and touch my hand twice." She says suddenly cautious again. Typical Cordelia, has to have proof of everything. I walk to her hand and light as a feather I tap her hand two times.

"Wow." She says it real soft just like earlier with Iris.

"There… is so much that I want to say to you." She smiles despite the tears on her cheeks.

"I just wish that I could hear you. I mean, I'm the goddamn supreme you'd think that I would be able to talk to a spirit." I can tell she's frustrated.

"Misty, I am at the top of my game. I have everything that I have ever wanted. The school is flourishing, witches no longer live in fear, and I am more accomplished in my talents than I ever have been. And it all feels tainted and empty without you." She says with her forehead in her hand and eyes closed tightly.

I gotta tell her. I gotta find a way to tell her. I remember one time she told me this story about how spirits are usually better at moving objects than they are people so I didn't have to fear them so much. I look at her desk and see her heavy fountain pen. I focus again and do find it even easier to roll it towards her. She always knows what she's talkin' about. She picks the pen up and looks at it. I can see it dawn on her as figures my plan out. She pulls out a piece of paper and sets it in front of her holding the pen upright. I can tell that she still feels pretty dumb, like she's waitin' for the whole thing to be a big joke.

I focus on the pen. It moves slowly and a little at a time, it's too heavy for me to do by myself. She holds it just right for me to be able to use my energy to write a few simple words. I'm finally through the last letter when I fall to the ground exhausted from the exertion. From the ground all drowsy eyed I still see her cover her mouth in surprise as she reads, "I love you, Dee."

"Cordelia? Can we come in?" Zoe's voice comes from the doorway and Cordelia jumps and quickly clears her throat and wipes at her face.

"Yes, come in." she says, foldin' up my message and puttin' it in her pocket.

Queenie and Zoe both come in and I could just scream. I need to know what Cordelia's feelin' about what I said. But I can barely sit up let alone scream, not that they'd hear me anyways. Them girls have some terrible timin'.

"What happened with Iris?" Zoe asks sitting down next to Queenie in front of her desk, at least if we had to be interrupted it was for a good reason.

"Well we were talking about things and I said the wrong thing as usual, she got all defensive and when she did she accidentally called me mom. I think it scared her after what happened with her real mom." Dee says.

"Poor girl. What did happen with her mom?" Queenie asks.

"She hasn't told me about it so I don't know all of the details, I've seen bits and pieces in visions, but she was close with her when she was young. But, as she got older her dad became abusive to her mother and her mother resented her for it and so she became abusive to her. One night her dad went on a rampage and killed her mom and her sister, stabbed them until they were unrecognizable. She came home to see him still stabbing her sister. She ran away and hasn't been back." Cordelia says.

The girls just shake their heads not knowin' what to say. I feel real sick to my stomach all of a sudden thinkin' about that poor sweet girl goin' through all that. Man, I hope her daddy got what was comin' to him! It's a wonder that she turned out as nice as she did.

"She took off out of here and went up to her room. Do you think that it's really Misty that she's seeing?" Zoe asks.

"Actually, I know that it is." Cordelia finally smiles.

"What do you mean?" Zoe asks.

"After Iris left Misty made contact with me. It's really her guys, I can feel it." She says bitin' her bottom lip with excitement. I get butterflies in my tummy every time she does that, I always have.

"That's so amazing, I'm so happy for you! And that she's okay! God I really do miss her being around." Zoe says, Queenie nodding in agreement.

"Yeah that swamp thing brought something to this group that we can't replace, that's for sure." Queenie smiles.

"Hey now." I say pretendin' to be defensive and wipe a tear from my cheek.

"Should I go talk to Iris? Or would it be too much?" Cordelia asks.

"You may want to wait until morning. If need be, I'll go with you. You know if the mom thing is still too much for her. I think she's just afraid to feel anything." Zoe says.

They all agree to that but if it were up to me, we'd all be up in that room right now. I can't just let things sit though. Me and Dee really balance each other out with stuff like this. Maybe she'll let me be a teacher or council member or something when I finally get my body back. I have to chuckle a bit at that. Me, teachin' other people things. But me and Dee make such a good team I'd hate to spoil it.

Somewhere while I was lost in thought the girls and Cordelia had decided to go to bed. I hope that Cordelia will stall so that she can answer me about the letter I wrote her but instead she is the first out of the room. I follow close behind her so that I don't get closed out of the room. She chooses my room again and I wonder how many nights that she spends in here. She locks the door behind us and sits on the edge of the bed.

"Are you in here Mist?" She asks. I graze her hand and she smiles.

"I hope it's okay that I stay in here. I didn't know you'd be returning so I didn't think you'd mind before. Is it okay?" She asks.

My finger lightly tracin' her wrist makes goosebumps rise all over her and lets her know that she can stay as long as she wants. She smiles again and gets under the covers. She lies down on her side facin' the empty side of the bed.

"I'd like it if you stayed here with me tonight." She says sheepishly. I lie down the best I can right across from her and put my hand right beside hers. I watch her drift to sleep and I tell ya it's a sight that I could see every night for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.

She wakes up just as gently. And she smiles nuzzlin' into her pillow. I focus real hard and boop her cute little supreme nose. She giggles like a school girl and even though there ain't no blood to pump through my veins my heart gets to racin'. She slides closer to me and I swear I can almost feel the heat comin' off her. I sure hope that I get my body back soon so I can feel her skin against mine, if she'll let me.

Our blissful mornin' is suddenly interrupted by poundin' on the door. I would be upset but my stomach drops down it my toes and I can feel that somethin' has happened.

"Cordelia it's urgent open the door!" it's Queenie. Cordelia scrambles to the door.

"What is it?" She asks

"I went to get the girls ready for breakfast and Iris is gone, we've looked everywhere and she's just gone." Queenie is tryin' not to cry she's so frantic. I feel like I might just fall over, this can't be happenin', I knew we shoulda checked on her. We've gotta find that girl!


	18. Chapter 18: Iris

I don't remember the street being so cold. I don't remember them being so slow or quiet either. But, I suppose having a cushy bed with a down comforter and being surrounded by people 24/7 will make you notice those sorts of things. I got comfortable at Robichaux's—soft. It won't be happening again. I don't need Kyle to cook for me every day. I can forage for my own food in the woods or in dumpsters. I don't need the "protection of the coven" I have an eight inch blade in my bag. I was just fine before and I will be just fine now no matter what the empty feeling in my stomach is telling me.

After discovering that the being alone out here feels different, I also quickly found out that my Dunkin' Donuts is closed. This damned economy can even affect someone without a dime to their name. It is okay though, there are plenty of 24 hour places in New Orleans. I can totally still do this. Nothing has changed, not really. I mean, except for the fact that I may actually be a witch or some sort of medium or some shit. And I spoke to a dead chick. And I felt strangely attached to said dead chick like some weird familial bond or something. And I ran away from a world famous horde of witches that I had known for months. You know, nothing out of the ordinary.

Fuck this. I have got to get further away. I can't stay in town like this, if they come after me it is the first place that they'll look. What if Cordelia is super pissed at me and decides to hunt me down? Is it even possible to hide from the supreme? After the way that I left things I couldn't blame her if she did want to hunt me down. I must have really weirded her out.

Shut up, brain! I'm not going to think about her anymore, I can't. I mean that is why I left in the first place. I pull my notebook out of my bag and flip through it. I actually took notes in my incantations class recently when they were talking about guidance spells. It was to be used when you were unsure of what the next step was. It taps into your heart and looks into your future and is supposed to guide your feet to where you belong. I had only been half-assing it before because I hadn't thought that I was capable of really making these things work. But, this time, I begin to utter the latin words with the strongest intent that I can muster.

To my surprise, my heart begins to feel like a ball of wax held to close to a flame. The heat increases and increases inside of me. The more malleable it becomes, the faster my feet begin to move until I am in a cold sweat, dead sprint, tears flying horizontal on my face kind of run. I've lost track of my surroundings completely back when my mouth began to taste more like blood than saliva. My feet go from beating pavement, to grinding gravel, to stomping dirt. I'm almost there. I'm so close.

"Fuck!" I call out causing birds to squawk and fly from their hiding places as a root catches my toes and sends me to the ground. I make no attempt to look up or move at all.

I'm here. I'm home.


	19. Chapter 19: Misty

"Gone? No. Are her things missing too?" Cordelia asks immediately grabbin' clothes to get dressed.

"Yes everything is gone, I'm so sorry Cordelia. I don't even know what to do." I tear finally falls from Queenie's eye.

"Well, I'll tell you what we're going to do; we're going to go find that girl. Go announce that classes are cancelled and tell everyone to be on the lookout for her and then we're going to find her." Cordelia is tryin' to rush around and act in control but I can tell her speed is just to cover her worry.

Queenie nods and leave shuttin' the door behind her. I'm feelin' just sick as can be. I don't know what it was about that girl but I felt like I'd known her all my life. And now she's out all alone in a big city. Not to mention she's probably the best chance that I'd had at figurin' this whole thing out! This is just a mess. I keep thinkin' that somethin's goin' right and then all a sudden somethin' else just gets worse!

Cordelia goes to her room and dresses quickly. It seems weird to see her with her hair pulled back and in a regular shirt and jeans. I can tell that she is ready to walk down every single street in New Orleans if someone doesn't stop her. To be real honest thought I don't know that anything can stop her. She rushes over to Queenie's room.

"Are you sure everything is gone?" She asks.

"I looked around her bed and in her dresser and closet and didn't see anything." Queenie says.

Cordelia doesn't give up. I have a feelin' I know what she's up to. She must be tryin' to find somethin' of her's so that she can use divination to find out where she's at. That's why she's the supreme, she always knows what to do! She walks quickly over to where Iris had been staying and closes her eyes next to her bed. She holds her open hands palm down and runs them over the bed. The most amazin' part to me is how she can ignore all the other girls who are starin'. That not what I'm real good at though. She runs her hands over the length of the bed over and over.

"Damn it." She mutters slappin' a pillow and puttin' her hand on her hip. Everyone's hope falls out of their mouth with a sigh.

"Well I'm going to go find her." She says with a new determination.

"Cordelia wait! Maybe we should make a plan." Zoe says. She's always so reasonable.

"I've got a plan, Zoe! I plan on bringing my girl home!" She shouts.

"We all want that but we need to slow down and figure out the best way. Kyle and I can go out looking for her around town with her picture to see if anyone's seen her, Queenie can take care of the other girls and wait here in case she comes back, and I think that it may be best if maybe you tried to figure out a spell or something that we could use to help find her or keep her safe." Zoe's logic can't be argued even by the head mistress.

"Okay." She says trying to regain composure and think through everything that Zoe had said. Slowly she starts noddin' and I can see she's okay now, that she likes that plan.

"Okay yeah, that's good. You guys go, check everywhere. I want you to think like a survivor because that is what she is. She's a smart girl, and she's not going to make this easy on us." There's my Cordelia, back to takin' things logically and as they come.

I of course decide to stay here with Cordelia, I won't be much help to them on foot, not that I will be much more help to Cordelia here. Maybe she'll be able to feel my presence and it'll comfort her some. It's gonna make me crazy not bein' able to do anything to help. She goes straight to her office and starts to dig through Iris's file. She takes the picture out of it and makes a few copies and gives them to Kyle and Zoey.

"Here, take this with you. I'm counting on you guys! Keep your phones on so I can reach you with any ideas." Cordelia forces a smile though her eyes are all watery.

"It's going to be okay Cordelia. We'll find her." Zoey squeezes her shoulder before turnin' to leave.

We head back to her office and Cordelia gets to pacin'. She tends to do that when she's tryin' to think and even more when she's worried about somethin'. She seems to have remembered somethin' cause she stands at her desk with her hands in the air. She whispers some latin so fast that I can't understand her but I hear her say Iris Oxendine a few times. Nothin' happens that I can see but Cordelia suddenly opens her pretty brown eyes and rushes to open up her lap.

She opens up a google tab and I lean over her shoulder and support myself with an arm right next to her mouse hand. "Iris Oxendine murder" she types into the search engine. I get real startled by that. Is our Iris girl dead? Is that why she could see me?

She clicks on a link to a newspaper from Mississippi. It talks all about how two years ago a sixteen year-old girl and her mama were murdered by the girl's father, just like Cordelia had described before. But, when they show a picture of Iris Oxendine it is certainly not our Iris Oxendine, though they sure do look alike! The article continues to say that her fourteen year-old sister Esme Oxendine had been missing since the incident. And by god if the photo next to that name isn't the girl we've been callin' Iris!

"There you are sweetheart." Cordelia says with a sad smile. It's crazy how much two years has aged poor Esme. She must have been real scared of her daddy after everything that happened.

Cordelia stands again and she mutters the same latin phrase as before, as far as I can tell, except this time with the name Esme. The lights seem to go a little dim and all of a sudden some papers go flyin' off of her desk. She keeps muttering the phrase until the last paper that had been on the desk flies into her hand.

"Of course! Her assignment! I just needed something of her so that I can figure out where she's at. God, I hope you're still here misty otherwise I'd look pretty silly talking up a storm over here." She says, I graze her hand and she smiles. Musta needed a little reassurance.

"Wow, look at this." Cordelia's brow furrows as she studies the paper in front of her.

"She wrote her paper on bringing the dead back to life." I watch her eyes slidin' across the paper takin' it all in.

"You know, this has some really good ideas." She walks over to her bookshelf and grabs a thick old leather book and reads over a couple things.

"Misty I think I know what we need to do." She looks up and I swear she must have been able to feel my presence cause she looked right at me! I think the more I'm around her the more familiar with my spirit she's becomin'.

She lays the paper in front of herself on her desk and lays her had flat on top of it. She begins sayin' a short latin phrase real quiet. She says it a few times and then gets real still and quiet. All a sudden, I can hear a heartbeat pound in my ears. Then again, even more deafenin'. Dee must hear it too because she puts her hands to her ears. I can see my swamp in my head, it's playin' out kinda like a movie would not like my own thoughts. I can see my mud pit and my chickens, and then inside the doorway of my hut, I see Esme. Cordelia's eyes open at the same time as mine.

"Let's go get her." She says with a determined smile.


	20. Chapter 20: Iris

Something about the little shack feels like home; familiar even. It smells like earth and cedar. I can tell that no one has lived here for a long time, and it looks like they left in a bit of a hurry. The place is a bit of a mess and there is a thick layer of dust and soil on the most surfaces and the dining table is turned over. I set it back on its feet. The more I look around though it almost seems as though someone has been here more recently, even if they didn't stay. Every so often I swear that I catch a whiff of orchids, I just can't remember why that smell is so familiar.

I spend the next several minutes tidying up. If this is going to be my home I want it to look nice. I dust and wipe down the kitchen. I get things in order and notice that there is no food. My stomach rumbles thinking about Kyle's jambalaya. My mouth waters a bit. I look over and see the chickens running around. I shake my head. No, they are my friends now. They are all I need. I walk towards a particularly fat one and extend my hand.

"You're all I need." I say softly. The chicken cocks its head at me. My throat tightens with emotion.

"Do you hear me!? I don't need you! I don't need anyone!" I scream towards to sky running out of the shack and towards the water's edge, overcome with emotion.

"Then why does your heart sound so lonely?" A man's voice comes from behind me followed by a laugh so deep that it rumbles through the air like thunder. Leaning in the doorway is the most frightening man that I have ever seen.

"Who are you? What do you want!?" I exclaim backing away from him.

"Don't you fret little girl. I mean no harm. Don't tell me that those silly witches forgot to tell you of Papa Legba?" His voice is unlike anything I have ever heard. It is so deep that it reverberates in my chest though he is far away from me.

"They didn't tell us about you, they warned us about you." I say coldly, scanning my surroundings for some sort of defense.

"Then you have been misinformed my darling. I'm here to help you." He says taking a step out if the doorway to face me. I look up to the sky realizing that clouds have rolled in making it dark as night. I start to think. He can only come when summoned, how did he get here?

"No one summoned you, how are you here" I ask running a hand into my hair. I didn't know I was shaking so much.

"Your heart summoned me Ms. Oxendine. You would give anything to have your sister back. Papa Legba can give that to you." He says and I can no longer move. His knowing smile and red eyes wait for my response.

"No, no you're lying. Miss Cordelia said you always lie." I mutter. That deep echoing laugh rumbles the air again.

"And what has listening to Miss Cordelia gotten you?" He asks scrutinizing me.

"If she were as powerful as she says that she is, then how is it that she hasn't taught you anything to bring your sister back to you?" He says taking another step towards me. I don't answer him and I don't move away.

"How is it that you ended up here all alone in some swamp shack if Miss Cordelia knows so much?" He asks, almost to me at this point.

"Well, if I can't trust her then how do I know if I can trust you?" I ask, sounding more broken and less confident than I intended.

"Papa Legba always delivers, you can count on that. All you need to think about is..." He begins to slowly circle me, "what is it worth to you?" He asks back to facing me.

"Your heart called out in desperation, ready to do and give anything to see your sister again. Now the question is, will that silly human brain of yours let you make the sacrifice?" He says dipping his long discolored nail into a little leather pouch and inhaling the white powder off of it.

"What kind of sacrifice?" I ask quietly. The wind is getting louder and louder, lightening flashes in the clouds.

"It's nothing much. Just your soul." He says before laughing so hard that he tips his head back towards the sky.

My body runs cold and I feel sick. I miss Iris more than I can even fathom. I miss who I was when she was around. I feel like a part of me died the day that she left the earth, the good part. I guess my heart knew it more than I wanted to acknowledge. I just want to hear her voice, I just want her guidance. I just want to see her.

"I offer you my soul and you bring my sister back. But what kind of strings are attached? Is she going to be some freaky looking zombie? Not remember who I am? End up dying a day later?" I ask, there are always repercussions, nothing comes this easily.

"I take your soul and your sister comes back. You face eternal damnation at the end of your earthly life, those are the only strings. They may be bigger and more frightening than you realize." He warns.

"But I can't lose her again. I can't have her come back and then get sick or hit by a bus or some shit." I insist.

"Smart girl, bargaining with the devil himself." He laughs.

"Her mortality will be connected to yours. If you're alive she's alive. When you go, so does she." He offers.

"But her soul doesn't belong to you. She won't be damned?" I ask.

"Of course not. Papa Legba cannot take what don't belong to him." He assures me.

I'm silent. I swore that I would always stay away from this dark shit when I got to New Orleans. I never dreamt that I would actually be standing here talking to Papa Legba actually considering offering my soul. What do I really have to lose at this point anyway? I mean look at my life. I'm sure that I'll fuck up enough in life to end up damned anyway. I might as well get something out of it right? Maybe this would be the better way. The world was better with the real Iris in it, so it would be my greatest act of kindness to bring her back here, even at the cost of my own black soul. Maybe that is why the spell brought me here, maybe this is my destiny.

"I wouldn't have to do anything else? It is really just my soul? I don't have to sacrifice anyone else or collect other people for you? Just a one time deal?" I ask. Living on the street has made me skeptical.

"You clearly don't know the value of your own soul." He smiles a dirty smile at me.

Maybe I should take the deal before he realizes that my soul couldn't possibly be worth anything.


	21. Chapter 21: Misty

I ain't ever seen Cordelia rush the way she did to get out to the swamp. I don't know why but she stopped first and grabbed the jar that had my ashes in it. Maybe that is what made me able to come with her? Maybe she's got a plan? Well, I'm sure she's got some sorta plan cooked up. I sure hope it has to do with bringin' me back as well as Esme! I sure would love to spend time with both of 'em and have 'em both be able to see me.

We run faster than our feet ever ran before. I've missed the smell of the trees and the earth and the water. We break through all the brush and I swear my stomach drops down to my feet at the sight we stumble into. Papa Legba has his arm around Esme as she cries.

"No!" Dee screams running for Esme.

He turns and with a sweep of an arm Cordelia is bound by some sort of forcefield, like ropes tying her arms and legs together. I start to run towards her too and he laughs.

"A bodiless soul, and a pure one at that, don't you take another step or I will take you right back to where you came from." He holds up his skull necklace as a threat and I freeze. I can't go back to the killing, I just can't.

"Whatever he has promised to you, its not worth it, please, tell him to leave." Cordelia pleas from the ground.

"He is the only one who can bring me my sister. I just need my sister back." Esme cries even harder now.

"We all have people that we've lost and wish that we could see again. But honey, her soul is at peace, I can feel it." I assure her.

"Does this look peaceful to you?" Papa Legba pull a clear orb from his jacket and holds it up to Esme. I ain't even close by and I can hear flames cracklin' and the girl screamin'. I feel in my soul that it isn't true though. I know that she is on the other side. Esme looks crushed ready to pay whatever toll he asks at the sight of her sister in pain.

"Esme, you listen to me! Hear my voice, I ain't got nothin' to gain from ya. I ain't tryin' to win your soul. I just want what's best for ya. He is lyin' to ya. When a soul needs savin' I have the gift of hearin' it, and all I hear from your sister is peace. She is happy on the other side. She wouldn't want you doin' this." I reason with her. She freezes.

"What did you call me?" She asks quietly. Cordelia may not have heard me but she gathers what happened.

"Esme. She called you Esme. We know everything that happened. And we just want to take you home." Cordelia cries.

"Your heart brought you here to my swamp for a reason. We're family Esme. You and me are joined at the heart and I know you feel it too." I sob.

"This is your house?" She asks. She is still. She is tryin' to wrap her mind around everything.

"Misty lived here before she found us. Her tribe. Don't you see? All of this was meant to happen! We can protect you and support you. Please, just come home." Dee is practically beggin' her.

"All that is fine, but the fact remains, they can't offer you your sister back." Papa Legba says diggin' his nails into her arm.

"Don't you hurt her!" I yell startin' to run for him.

"No!" Esme yells at me. I freeze, scared to death that he's won her over.

"I don't need you." She says, voice deep and angry. It don't sound like a tough teen act no more and it just about breaks my heart. Papa Legba laughs.

"You see? Your little girl is wiser than you thought." He says.

"Not her. _You._ I don't need you Papa Legba. I don't want you or anything that you have to offer anymore." His red eyes have terror in 'em for the first time. He reaches out desperately for her throat but she stands unmoved and unafraid. His entire body turns to to black smoke and is taken with the wind.

Cordelia and I both run to her and wrap our arms around her. She clings to us both. Me and Cordelia's bodies don't connect obviously, which has to feel real weird to her. I meant every word though. I love this girl like she's my own daughter even if I did just meet her. I'm real thankful we saved her.

"Esme, everything is going to be okay." Cordelia whispers to her. Esme just keeps saying she's sorry over and over as we both shush her and tell her its okay.

"Honey, I read that paper you wrote and I think that combined with some research that I've been doing out here that we can bring Misty back. Are you willing to do this with me?" Cordelia asks holdin' her hands. Esme nods.

"Anything to bring her back." She says and turns to me.

"Okay." Cordelia wipes at her tears and gets started.

First she goes to where my healin' clay was and harvests as much as she can carry. She piles it all in the middle of my open yard. Next, she pulls out a couple of viles. One is some sort of oil. She adds a few drops whispering incantations as she does. Then she take some leaves from another and tears them up mixin' them into the clay. She picks up the urn with my ashes in it and looks to Esme one more time.

"Esme, we have one shot at this. Promise me you will give your all, that you'll do anything I ask." She is serious and it scares both of us.

"I swear." Esme is serious too.

Dee then takes my ashes and with tears runnin' down her face she mixes 'em into the clay. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a knife. Now I'm real scared. She unfolds the blade and runs it pretty deep across her palm. I wanna stop her somethin' awful. I don't wanna come back if it hurts her. She lets a steady trickle of blood run onto the clay, her incantations and the wind both gettin' louder. She grabs Esme's hand gently.

"I need a little of your blood too. It all has to mix." Cordelia says gently. Esme nods.

"I trust you." She says straight to Cordelia's eyes and I can feel that she means it.

She takes the blade and very carefully runs it across Esme's palm. It is just barely enough for a few drops to trickle in. She then clasps her own bleeding hand to Esme's. She drops the knife. She looks to the sky and back to the mixture. When she is satisfied with the amount of blood she continues her instruction.

"Misty I need you to come stand in the mixture." She calls out. I quickly step into it. It of course doesn't move around or nothin' but I can feel it up past my ankles.

"Is she in it?" She asks Esme. Esme nods.

"I need you to repeat after me, keep going and never stop until you are as loud as you can okay. No matter what happens don't let go of my hands and don't stop yelling." Cordelia instructs.

They begin recitin' Latin for "ashes to ashes and dust to dust, let Misty Day return to us." They are yelling and yellin', louder and louder. The storm grows too. Lightenin' hit out on the swamp but they keep goin', hands clasped tighter then ever.

The mound of clay turns into a more of a pool and I begin to slowly sink. Esme looks scared but she obeys Cordelia and just keeps yellin'. She shuts her eyes and gets even more loud. The wind is blowing so hard that it threatens to knock 'em over but they keep goin' more and more intense. I'm up to my hip in the clay now. I feel real strange. The air is thick. I can't hardly breathe it in for nothin'. I trust Dee though so I just shut my eyes too. I'm up to my collarbone now. The wind and thunder are so loud it sounds like a hurricane or somethin'. As the clay hits my nose I steal one last glance at Cordelia's perfect face. If this don't work at least that's the last thing I saw.

Right as I'm fully submerged I suddenly feel this peace. It washes over me like nothin' I ever felt before. There's silence here. I don't hear the storm, I don't hear their voices, I don't hear nothin'. I let my body go limp. And as I do the loudest sound I ever heard strikes me along with a bolt of electricity that sends me flyin' into the air. I feel myself hollerin' but I can't hear a thing. I am lifted into the air by the lightenin' that struck the clay pool. I land hard on the ground. It is such an overwhelming feeling that I can't move at first.

I take in a sudden painful breath and know that it's my real body doin' the breathin'. That's the only thing that would explain the pain. I finally find the strength to look around. The storm is gone. Cordelia musta gotten thrown by the lightenin' too cause she is laying right in front of me. She turns her head to face me. She's breathless too.

"Misty?" She starts, her voice more relieved than surprised. I can't find my voice yet so I just reach my hand out to her shoulder and touch her, and my god does it feel good.

"I love you too." She says before grabbin' my face and plantin' the most wonderful kiss I ever had on my mouth.


End file.
